A Discrete Waltz
by GreenBuddah
Summary: Really, thought Mako, it was quite hard to worry about such innane things like civil war and insane masked vigilantes when there was the more pressing matter that the Avatar's bindings were incredibly volatile when wet. Shameless Makkora
1. A Proposal

**Hello all! Originally this was a oneshot but I decided to build on the idea, so it'll be about 3 chapters. It's all leading up to glorious smut so be patient with me. Sex is great but writing sex required a proper knowledge of grammar and metaphors as well as verbs. I promise lemon! :D**

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Korra woke up, at the rise of dawn, with a smile. Effectively terrifying the other occupants of Air Temple Island, for Korra was NOT a morning person. Ever.

"Good morning Naga!" She called to her hesitant Polar-dog companion, who only blinked at her in confusion. Korra bounded out of bed, already dressed, and promptly left for the dining hall. The acolytes, all ten, gave her double takes before turning amongst themselves to share mutual looks of confusion. And fear. The Avatar was not known to smile before noon.

Yet there Korra sat, eating her breakfast in a calm and brisk manner. When Tenzin walked in, she promptly got up and gave her sifu the appropriate bow and asked how he slept.

He quickly turned and left the dinning hall, determined to get more sleep.

Unfazed, Korra continued to finish her breakfast, then deposited her dishes to the kitchen, thanked the cook (who dropped his tray in surprise) and left for morning meditation with the air bender children.

Jinora and Ikki could only stare at the content Avatar who appeared in deep concentration beside them.

"Um…Korra?" Jinora inquired, rather nervously, to the much older girl. Korra blinked an eye open and smiled at the young air-bender.

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright?"

"Of course!"

"But…" Jinora hesitated, staring at Korra. She knew the young Avatar had confessed her feelings to the handsome fire-bender boy only two nights ago, and had come home in silent defeat. That was a scary sight. Then, only last night, Korra returned from the pro-bending arena, looking slight put-off, as she had muttered something about "just-friends" to Naga before stomping off to bed. That was scarier. But a happy, awake, calm Korra?

That was terrifying.

"Ah," shaken out of her thoughts, Jinora watched as the Avatar leapt to her feet and whistled for Naga, "the bakery should be open now!"

Ikki turned to her sister as the pair watched the young woman saunter off on her polar-bear dog, who was walking in a more rigid and nervous manner then usual.

"Ten Yuan she's gone loopy."

* * *

Korra left the Republic Bakery with a spring in her step. She offered strangers mingling on the busy street open smiles as she passed them, downright confusing most and alarming all. A few assumed the Avatars joy was due to her recent victory in the Pro-bending arena. Others simply considered that she had finally slept with one of her teammates. None of them would have assumed that Korra was a rejected virgin who has effectively been reduced to the "just-friends" status.

Honestly, any other girl would be reduced to tears and mollification, wrapped up in the covers of a bed with a terrible book about dragons and love-lost, for what better way to fix a broken heart then hearing about lovers being brutally killed and maimed?

But no. Korra knew she had some hold over Mako. She saw the way he looked at her, touched her when helping her practice, and grew frustrated over her nicknames for him. In some manner, she was in his head. She would just get into his pants through friend-ship. And didn't what better way to solidify their newfound relationship then with breakfast in bed?

In the end, she mused, if her endeavor failed, she could shape up and pretend that she was confused over the term 'friend-ship'. Korra had teachers, masters, guards, rivals, sparring partners, parents, and polar-bear dog. She was friendly enough, she thought as she frightened yet another stranger with a wide smile, but that did not entail a relationship. Even with Bolin, their relationship was nothing more than acquaintances with a one-sided infatuation. They had a date, it was fun, and they fought together on a small stage. But, in Mako's attempt at defining a clear line between them, in distancing them, he had merely invited her in.

Now all it would take was a morning and steamed bun to cross that space.

Korra arrived at the door of the fabulous Bending Brothers apartment and carefully knocked, instead of her usual barge in, and waited. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she craned her neck back to stare at the cracks in the ceiling of the staircase, careful to not lean back too much and fall down the tumultuous flight of stairs. After a few moments, in which Korra hummed a popular southern-tribe song under her breath, Mako opened the door.

And blinked.

Mako, if possible, was less of a morning person than Korra herself, although this was possible due to his late date with Asami only a few hours before. Korra let out a hidden sigh of relief that he had chosen not to sleep over with Asami. She knew that Mako would never bring the Sato girl over on the ground of the apartment's state and his protective nature over Bolin. So Korra could quietly admired the disarray of his hair, the slope in his eyelids, and the lean frame of his body that was covered in a sheer white tank top and sweatpants without worrying about finding an equally ill-dressed Asami inside.

"…Mhm?"

"Hello friend," she said brightly before lifting up her bag full of meat and sweet buns, "I come bearing gifts."

There was a short pause, as Mako seemed to refocus his eyes from her, to the bag of food. He squinted at the bag as if it contained a load of dead wolf-bats.

He cleared his throat and looked down at the oh to cheerful Avatar.

"What?"

Korra opened the bag and took a bun out, waving it before him, "Breakfast: I brought it."

After a few moments of silence where Mako was clearly attempting to clarify whether this was reality or not, and also not one to turn down free food, Mako begrudgingly allowed her in. She brushed passed him as she crossed the threshold, making sure to lean her body against his in the narrow space. She could feel him tense as she walked by and smiled at her own perversion.

Korra walked up to the island kitchen that was past of the loft-style apartment. She placed the bag on the counter then leaned her arms across it, holding the still warm bun in her hand. She smiled at the frozen Mako who could only stare at her. She then slowly offered the bun in his direction. "Have a bite," She invited, coyly.

"Korra," Mako said, voice so deep and gruff from sleep that it sent shivers down her back, "I don't think this is smart."

Korra waved her hands in front of her, leaning her head to the side and shot him an innocent smile, "I told you, I come offering gifts, and it's a punishable offense to refuse food in my tribe, you'd be insulting thousands of years of tradition and manners."

Mako narrowed his eyes at her, but crossed over, reaching instead into the brown bag for a fresh bun. Shrugging, Korra bit into hers, relishing in the taste and considering her next move. The two ate in silence, with Mako shooting her suspicious looks while she stared out the bay windows, watching the morning sun twinkle above the bay. She quickly finished her food and waited for him, smiling the whole way and still humming her song.

"I have a favor," Korra admitted once Mako took the last bite of his food.

"I knew it," he sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes, "what?"

"Teach me how to bend lightning."

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**Dun dun dun dun ;D Reviews, be it love, hate, of mehness, are all welcome!**


	2. An Invitation

**Hello again lovelies! Two chapters in two days! WOOT. I decided to extend this story a little more, play out it, tell moi what you think :D**

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Mako could only stare. He raised an eyebrow and rubbed his chin, searching her eyes for any sense of foul play.

"Your fire-bending master never taught you?" It was not a refusal, but it was not a yes. Korra could work with that. She smiled and shrugged.

"It was only critical for me to cover the basics. Plus my Master called me a spirit-forsaken-impatient-daughter-of-a-monkey-rat who was incapable of calming down for more than ten seconds in order to capture lightning."

Mako looked incredulous.

"So when Katara was unable to restore 80% of his body hair afterwards, it was declared unimportant for me to learn".

Perhaps she should have omitted that part. Mako rubbed the back of his neck and Korra waited, anxious to see how far this plan would go.

Finally, with a sigh, the Firebender nodded, and gestured her the follow him. With a loud whoop and fist pump in the air, Korra followed her teammate out of the loft and down the flight of stairs. Inwardly, she was rejoicing at her luck, everything was going just as planned.

In the cot above the loft, Bolin was dreaming that Pabu, with the voice of Korra, was threatening to burn his eyebrows off.

* * *

The soft light of the morning filtered through the stain-glass ceiling of the pro-bending arena. The silence of the large hall was filled by the rise of the elevator up to the main stage. Korra raised her eyebrows at Mako and gestured towards the empty stands, which were eerily silent. She would never get used to this. She was a woman made for action and thrived on thrill, which was partially why she was abysmal at meditation. This silence, especially in a setting meant for excitement, passion, and battle, haunted Korra.

"It's eerie, isn't it?" Mako asked, glancing at her. He stepped off the lift and walked onto the stage, turning around to get a full view. Korra watched him, admiring his the way that he could read her so well. Her heart began to beat when Mako stripped off his gloves and began stretching his arms, an act that emphasized his muscles that were usually covered by his coat. Instead he was in his training clothes, a simple old off-white wife beater and gray sweats. Gray sweats that pooled slightly in the crotch area.

Korra swallowed.

"-Also known as 'cold-blooded fire' 80 years ago it was primarily used by the fire royal family. It's an element that is ruled by breath and maintaining a single-mind. Basically, you have to think on only one plane, to generate and direct it, which should be fairly easy for you since you seem to only have a one-track mind."

Korra was blushing furiously when she met Mako's eyes. He sighed when he noticed her blush, thinking her flustered for the insult or for simply not paying any attention. Or for whatever Agni-known reason, this chick was a strange one.

Mako continued, "It's all about guiding. There's no way to control, you simply have to act as a current." He walked to the center of the arena and took a breath. With a hand, he brushed Korra beside him, before turning his back to her. Widening his stance, Mako moved his arms in a circular motion, slowly moving his hands, which both had two fingers pointed in the opposite direction, down, up, and away. Then with a burst of agility in his upper body, Mako twisted his abdomen, saluting his right hand towards the sky while using his left to the direct the now flourishing current of electricity towards the edge of the stage.

Korra watched, memorized by his skill. Instantly, all thoughts of perversion were eliminated as she began analyzing the technique. It was obviously a slower movement then fire bending, taking Mako far longer to generate then a shot of flames. But Korra saw the immediacy at directing the lightning at a target. Briefly, she remembered the terrible night when she watching the leader of the triple triads, Lightning Bolt Zolt, battle for his bending.

Mako ended the current, allowing the last sparks to die out as he straightened his back and turned to Korra, obviously pleased with himself. Never let it be said that he didn't enjoy commanding control and attention, and instructing others always pleased him.

"Ready to try?"

Korra nodded. Yes, her initial plan was simply to get Mako alone, but this was proving more interesting then what she had initially considered. With ease, she copied his motions, and soon the pair was lost in concentration, floating over the movements from beginning to end. Korra mimed him, not determined yet to spark her own bolt, only sure to get the positioning right.

Mako, who was turned to her in order to parallel his movements for her, frowned when he noticed the lack of twist in her core. He straightened and walked behind her, placing one hand on her waist and another on her bicep. Instantly, a flood of warmth, followed by a chill that shook him more than he would like to admit, took over where he was touching her.

"You need to use your core, it's critical when you're directing." He told her, his breath barely reaching the edge of her ear, which was now beet red. Korra prayed to the spirits that Mako wouldn't notice his affect on her.

Fortunately, Mako, an expert at keeping a calm head and focusing on the situation at end, did not. The two began moving, this time as one, with the movements. The feeling of fluidity, and how their bodies felt together, bending, twisting, and turning, mesmerized Korra.

"Good." Mako stood back, creating a space that chilled the two of them, each afraid to admit their fondness of the other's touch.

"Now, concentrate, direct, and shoot."

Agni, Korra could only think of the boy behind her, her mind wrapped firmly on the fleeting feeling of his hands and the flexibility of his body. Shaking her head, she took a breath, and then bent into her movements, thinking only of the flame, the electricity, of her feelings.

With a thrust, she pointed her left arm above, directing a single jolt of lightning out, relishing in the feel of electricity traveling through her body, dominating her in a way she never believed possible.

"Ah," the light died quickly, but Korra was left dazed by its power.

"Not bad," said Mako, smirking.

Korra turned and smiled at the boy. "That was incredible! Did you see that?"

"With some practice, you could fill in my position at the plant!" That statement instantly sobered up the young Avatar, as she was reminded that Asami now effectively was supporting Mako in more ways then she ever could, even with her position in Republic City.

Korra became increasingly annoyed as Mako began talking about more complicated stances. For someone so independent, so supporting of others, so headstrong, Mako seemed to fold when it came to the raven-haired beauty. Korra grew angrier when she thought of his change. On one hand, she was glad that he had stopped working at the factory, for she knew the long hours weighed on the boy. On the other, it meant no interaction with Asami.

"Korra?" Said girl was shaken from her angry musings. "Were you even listening?"

Korra shifted into the lightning stand, now in front of the 18 year old.

"Let's put your teaching to the test." Korra stated, rather then suggested. Mako, annoyed, raised his eyebrows in exasperation. "You just learned it, don't you find that unwise?" When she didn't answer, he shrugged and began turning away, waving a hand absently in goodbye, determined to not give in to her demands.

A flash of electricity hit the spot where he was about the step. Mako froze, and then turned to the Avatar. She only smirked, and raised herself into a fighting stance.

He knew that she would only continue to bully him into submission, so he acquitted and shifted into his preferred stance. Granted, he never used lightning in battle, learning it after his time in the street. Bit he wasn't above trying, especially with her.

With a twist, Mako generated two flows of lightning, and then quickly thrust it at the girl. This fight was long-time coming anyway, for a part of him had always wondered who would come out the victor of a firebending match between them.

Korra, to his amazement, caught the lightning, directed it to her middle, then shot it way. Her movements, though precise, were too slow, for Mako quickly raised his left foot and shot a flash of fire at her.

Korra, too focused on the lightning, could only dodge Mako's burst of flames, twisting out of reach. Unfortunately, her knuckles of her left hand were burnt, but Korra ignored the pain and shot a fist of fire in his direction.

And it continued that way; Mako growing calmer as Korra only grew more frustrated by his dodging. She knew his fighting skill well enough to work well with him on her side, but as he was now across from her, she found herself dodging more then returning blows.

Formal and informal technique clashed as the two fought. While Korra was better trained, Mako was better at adapting and reading her movements, which frustrated the Avatar to no end.

Their fighting grew more intense with each passing moment. It became a contest of fire, swirling and surrounding their two figures. Mako, forever calm, held out as Korra lashed with punch after kick of pure flames. She was infuriated. She was inflamed. She would beat him into the ground until he would finally give up and look at her.

Her attacks only grew more vicious. Mako soon wandered if that was more than a spar and could only attempt at returning the intensity. As always, she was driving him crazy, for her eradicate and stubbornness conflicted with his typical fighting style, making him take more offensive shots then he would like. It seriously started to piss him off.

Lost in her anger, Mako caught her with a sidekick that sent her teetering over the edge. She hadn't even noticed how he had slowly cornered her to the side of the stage. Attempting to reclaim balance, and determined not to fall alone, Korra lashed a hand out toward him, grabbing his arm, and sent him down with her.

There were two mutual gasps of surprise, then a large splash, and then silence.

The water, always her second favorite element, enveloped her in a cold embrace. Her eyes were shut tight as she allowed herself to sink, attempting to calm her rage and hurt. Tears of frustration mingled and mixed, eliminating differences. Finally, unable to hold out any longer, she resurfaced.

Korra dragged herself up the small ladder leading up from the pool beneath the stage, quickly followed by an angry, angry, Firebender.

With labored breathing Mako turned to her. "What is your problem?" he demanded, glaring at her hunched figure. He didn't expect the next moment, when Korra turned to him, eyes tearing up as she clutched her arms.

"It's you, always you! You and your stupid hair" which was now damp and falling into his eyes "and your stupid eyes" which were shining gold with anger in the dark light, glaringly and illuminatingly beautiful, "and your stupid, stupid suggestions, you thickheaded rhino-rat!"

Mako could only stare at Korra. His eyes followed the droplets falling from her nose to the curve of her jaw, dipping down to her torn blouse and tracing the edges of collarbone, teetering towards the two valleys of her large breasts.

Korra turned away, ashamed of crying. This was not how it was supposed to go. She just wanted to spend time with him, show him how well they meshed. She knew, she just knew, that he was the one, the only one. She may not look it, with her tough exterior and weightlifting hobby, but Korra was a girl in love with romance. She saw it everywhere, in her parent's relationship, in Katara's stories, even in the small moments when Pema and Tenzin thought they were alone . It seemed natural, part of the adventure. It was all about finding it, and she did in this arrogant prick.

"Korra," speak of the devil, "fight me."

So she did. She had exhausted most of her bending, so she resorted to plain punches and kicks. She was weighed down by the water and her emotions, moving sluggishly, which frustrated her. But not as much as her target, whom was barely returning any of her blows, merely catching or dodging them.

Now, she was angry.

Korra lifted her burnt fist and sent it flying with everything she had, throwing her entire weight into it. Mako caught it, with a grunt, but lost balance, effectively bringing him and Korra down once more.

Suddenly, Korra found herself straddling Mako. Her hips were directly above his, and were grinding in a not to delicate manner. She froze, staring straight at his collarbone, which was moving quickly due to his belabored labor over their tussle and his sudden change in position. This, at least something like this, was her plan all along, initially. But finding herself in such an incriminating position so suddenly was wake up call to how out of her element she was.

She was in such a position of control, yet she had never felt so vulnerable before.

Honestly, she just wanted to kiss him, than scream at him for ignoring her and preferring Asami, weep into his chest for not taking her seriously, and finally punch him really hard in the face for treating her the way he did, like she was some fan girl, just another teammate, a nuisance, a kid. Then kiss him again.

Mako remained silent. He just watched her, as always, with a cautious and contained look, never revealing anything. He didn't seem too deterred by their position, almost looked comfortable and he made no move to shove her aside. She almost wished he would. His nose was bleeding and his cheek looked about to swell, but Korra made no move to heal him. She was enthralled by the fact that he had imperfections, that there was a crack. It made him human. She brought her hand, the one that wasn't fisted in his shirt, cupped his good cheek traced the line of blood away from his lips with her thumb, leaving a red stain.

Mako made no move to stop her. Korra, taking his inactivity as a queue to act, leaned her head forward and lightly brushed her lips to his.

That's when he chose to take advantage. Mako quickly shoved her aside and repositioned himself above her, elbows on either side of her head, effectively entrapping her between his body and the floor. She could feel every muscle, from his chest to abdomen to…

Oh.

OH!

He was hard.

Korra's face was inflamed in a wash of crimson, enveloping her entire head and neck. She wanted to look anywhere but Mako's face, but that proved difficult. A drop of blood dropped on her cheek and it was his turn to cup her cheek.

As he shifted his weight, Korra could feel the entire hard length pressed beside her leg, sending a surge of warmth to her nether regions. Her nipples hardened beneath her bindings. She was terrified and excited. She couldn't think; her mind was racing. She had never felt anything like this before. She loved it.

Unsure how to act, Korra did what she always did and let her body take over from her mind. She pressed her hips to his and rolled, relishing in the feeling. Mako remained still and stiff, simply staring down at her face, letting her do all the work. Korra would not have that. She grabbed his wrist and attempted to pull him closer, but he resisted. She growled in frustration, but was quickly stopped when Mako leaned his head beside her, his warm breath tracing the outskirts of her ear. A whole new sensation flooded over her that traveled further along her body, effectively soaking her under-bindings (thank god she was already wet from her impromptu swim…)

"So…you don't see me as a friend…" Korra choked out.

Mako laughed, a series of vibrations rocked his chest.

"Obviously." Mako quickly sobered up. "It's just…we can't…it's not fair to her."

Her.

Korra instantly sobered up. Guilt eliminated all lust and Korra went limp with self-disgust. Mako got to his knees, looking anywhere but at her, his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth set in a grim line.

"I think that's enough teaching for now-" He was promptly cut off when Korra shoved him away, and leapt to her feet.

Korra ran, chased by the sound of Mako's vain attempts to simultaneously self-combust and drown.

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**Thoughts? :3**


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